Christian Family Values in Action

When I was growing up, things were somewhat simpler. I was raised in a family of 7 kids, and we were certainly not what you would call "wealthy". We didn't get everything we wanted, but most of the time we got what we needed. But it was a completely different time. There were no cell phones or ipads or the internet. The only computers we saw were the ones at NASA when a rocket was going to the moon.

So, in a way, the distractions were less. As teenagers, we had to work a lot harder to stay in touch and it sure seemed like the rules were stricter. Or maybe it just felt that way. Fast forward to raising my own kids...

Our kids were involved with lots of activities as they grew up. We wanted them to have the chance to find the things where they could feel good about themselves and excel. So we let them participate in lots of things. I remember a time when I felt like I should just keep the car running, just like those big diesel trucks. Just keep it on standby just in case it was needed.

We would schedule family night on occasion. This was always my kids favorite time. I would either rent several Christian family movies or we'd play board games. I would serve several family food favorites and much fun would be had by all. No, we didn't share family Christian books or sing songs. It would've resulted in way too much teenage eye rolling. There is only so much Christian family stuff they'll agree to willingly, you know?

But there were also those times when our kids didn't think our view of life was worth a whole lot. They wanted their independence. They wanted to make their own decisions. And it wasn't easy to let go. But slowly we were able to navigate through those treacherous waters.

When our son wanted to start dating at an earlier age than we thought was appropriate we told him we would work together as we all got used to the concept. We told him we had to start slow so that all of us could develop trust. There were lots of rules in the very beginning but slowly, over his years in high school, we lessened the rules as we all felt comfortable that we could trust each other.

Today my kids are grown and on their own. Our daughter is becoming a sister with a Sisters Community in Florida. Our son is married and is a full time trombonist with the Copper Street Brass Quintet. Both my husband and I hope we've instilled the right Christian family values in them as they grew up.

Sometimes I think parents have good intentions but unfortunately, we come across like a big, burning sun. You know what happens if you spend too much time in the sun...you get sunburned. And then you avoid the sun. I think we forget that just like the sun, too much of something all at once makes us want to avoid it. Perhaps it's better to let our kids see how we live and think and believe.

Maybe we can be happy and grateful when they show some of the Christian family values we tried to instill. But then maybe it isn't so much about instilling as it is about glowing on them just a little.

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